Wallpaper is not necessarily inkjet-produced - Xeikon's 8500 is toner and 512mm wide (20.5"), which is standard wallpaper roll, and it's proving popular with print businesses producing wallpaper, posters and other wall decorations.
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| The Xeikon 8500 at K&L Wall Art |
Xeikon’s new wallpaper system, the Wall Decoration Suite, which includes the Xeikon 8500 single-pass digital duplex printer, has provided a significant production boost at Berlin-based global print services provider, K&L Wall Art.
“We needed to act, since we were no longer able to meet the demand for digitally printed wallpaper with our previous latex printers whilst remaining competitive,” said K&L MD Alexander Kunze. “If you take a good look at the market, only Xeikon remains as a reliable and experienced supplier of digital wallpaper solutions.”
The decision to purchase the Xeikon solution was driven primarily by K&L Wall Art’s expansion beyond personalised wallpaper for consumers to include a B2B customer base. Large companies, interior designers and shipyards not only request individual items, but often order larger quantities of up to 3,000 pieces. Kunze calculates he’s able to print five times faster with the new Xeikon machine than with two or three latex printers.
“What really impressed us about the Xeikon wallpaper solution is that it has been thoroughly thought out, from A to Z,” Kunze said. “We do not require any additional machines for assembly, and a single operator can easily operate the machine.”
Xeikon’s Wall Decoration Suite includes a jumbo unwinder and a specially developed wallpaper rewinder with cutter and remover. This enables the production of a fully finished wallpaper roll in a single operation. The suite is powered by the X-800 digital front-end that offers a range productivity and colour management features.
Dimitri Van Gaever, business development manager at Xeikon, said: “K&L Wall Art is a great example of a company looking beyond just the press to a total solution that offers a streamlined workflow. This holistic approach is the best way for printing companies to further develop their businesses and better serve a growing customer base.”
K&L Wall Art’s core business is wall decoration, with wall tattoos, wall designs, wallpaper, posters, glass paintings, canvases and decorative letters. In addition, it holds licenses for about 50 well-known brands - including FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and the German national football team - as well as Asterix & Obelix, Porsche Design, and Diddle. After Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where K&L already has a high profile, its international business is focused on platforms in England, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Italy, the USA and Canada.
Xeikon, a division of Flint Group, designs, develops and delivers web-fed digital colour presses for label and packaging applications, document printing, and commercial printing. Flint Group develops and manufactures printing consumables including conventional and energy-curable inks and coatings, pressroom chemicals, printing plates and equipment, printing blankets and sleeves, and pigments and additives for use in inks and other colorant applications. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Flint Group employs 7900 people.
